C-WIN: More special treatment for the powerful at the expense of ratepayers

When a government agency demands special treatment to expedite “critical” projects, we should be skeptical. Invariably, the claimed need  benefits a politically powerful industry that wants to avoid transparency and accountability. Currently, such “special treatment” arguments are being made to advance multiple harmful projects, from ICE concentration camps to AI data centers.

In California, proponents of corporate agriculture and desert development are making the same special treatment claim for the expansion of the State Water Project (SWP). Most immediately, they are pushing Assembly Bill 2215, which would give the SWP a free pass for construction of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), a $60-$100 billion mega-tunnel that would drive water rates through the roof and further desecrate our environment. Californians and their elected representatives should reject this blatant power grab.

Let’s examine the proponents’ flimsy arguments. They claim the legislation is necessary to cut the red tape hobbling the infrastructure upgrades needed to ensure SWP resilience and dependability in an era of accelerating climate change. However, they are the ones who have wasted decades by pursuing massive boondoggle projects designed to move increasing volumes of water instead of focusing on fixing the existing infrastructure.

The Department of Water Resources, which owns and operates the SWP, has had 17 years to conduct an environmental analysis to support its SWP water rights claims. During this time, DWR has completed several environmental analyses for SWP operations and other proposed projects, so it certainly isn’t a capacity issue. In addition, the SWP has responded to both drought and flood conditions, demonstrating that it isn’t an operational issue. Moreover, Senate Bill 872, which seeks funding to upgrade existing water infrastructure, has broad support, so it isn’t a political opposition issue, either.

So, what’s really going on here? It’s basically a cynical rehash of the age-old playbook of greedy interests flogging a fear-based narrative. They are playing on people’s deep fears about running out of water during droughts to claim that we must capture and deliver more water during wet years. However, we already capture and deliver enough water during wet years to accommodate Southern California’s water demand and provide a robust drought buffer; and with the existing infrastructure upgrades that are broadly supported, we can continue to provide adequate urban supplies, keep rates down, and maintain river flows to protect our iconic fish species.

What we don’t provide is water sufficient to maintain fat profit margins for corporate agriculture during droughts, especially given evolving groundwater pumping restrictions—which is why those corporations are so desperate to pass this legislation.

Over the past 18 months we have experienced broad-based civil destruction caused by a federal leadership convinced that the rules do not apply to them and can thus be bent or ignored with impunity. AB 2215 is a blatant attempt to evade essential and equitable rules to advance a project that is outrageously expensive, massively destructive, and widely unpopular. Legislators should see through the corporate fearmongering and do the right thing by their constituents by voting down this bill.